I am a certified herbalist and homeopath who educates others on making their home healthier for their family, pets, and environment. Boho, my dog, is my trusty sidekick. Together, we work to make the lives of others better through holistic and sustainable living.

Search This Blog

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Top Tips For Raising A Healthy, Natural Dog

Yes, I’m guilty. I
let Boho get away with just about everything she wants to do. I let her beg at the table, eat food off my
plate (as long as there are no dangerous foods for her), roam the entire house,
sleep in bed with my hubby and me, and anything else that doesn’t put her in
danger.

Why? Because I want
the few years she’s alive, to be spent happy and free.

We have our pets for such a short time. They never have to grow up to be productive
adults, like children do. Their time on
earth is spent giving us unconditional love and loyalty. If treated well, they are always happy to see
us. Whether I’m gone 10 minutes, or 4
hours, when I get home, Boho runs up to greet me, tail wagging. It’s as though my return home is the best
thing that’s ever happened to her. I
don’t know about you; but, no one else has ever been that happy to see me.

In addition to being happy, I also want Boho to be
healthy. Recently, I switched her diet
to grain free dog food, Blue Buffalo Small Breed Freedom Grain Free Chicken Recipe Dry Dog Food, 11-Pound, in the morning.
I’ve been feeding her Blue Buffalo since I rescued her from a horrible
breeder. She’s done very well on it,
maintaining a healthy weight. But, she
continued to have flaky skin and itching.
I thought since going grain free had helped my skin rashes, perhaps it
could help her. It’s still too early to
tell; but, it does seem to be helping.
At night, I used to give her organic chicken, brown rice, and veggies. When I heard about the levels of arsenic in
brown rice, I switched her to soaked quinoa.
She took to the change very well.
It’s even helped her digestion. I
also add 1 teaspoon coconut oil, Nutiva Certified Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
to her nightly food. She loves it so much, she comes running to
the kitchen when she hears the jar open.

One of the best things I ever did for Boho is purchasing her
Optimal Health Program at Banfield. It’s
basically like health insurance for your pet.
For a monthly fee, you get unlimited vet visits, a discount on services,
vaccinations, and two comprehensive exams per year. My plan even includes dental cleaning every
year. My Banfield is located inside of
Petsmart, which makes it very convenient.
They are great about nail clipping and anal gland maintenance. It’s important to keep up with all of your
pets’ vaccines, dental health, and grooming.

While I’m not a big fan of vaccines, especially in humans, I
do have Boho vaccinated when she needs it.
I pay a little extra for a titer test, which determines if she still has
antibodies in her system from her last vaccine.
I do not believe in over-vaccinating!
Luckily, Boho has never had a bad reaction to a vaccination. Knocking on
wood, as I write!

I am also super picky about her treats. She only gets treats made in the USA. I’m not taking any chances with that one, and
neither should you.

If you’ve been following my blog since the beginning, you
know the reason I founded Boho and Mo is because of Boho’s reaction to cleaning
chemicals in my home. Sometimes, we
don’t realize the harm we’re doing to them by using toxic chemicals on the
surfaces they’re around every day.
Because they are lower to the ground, they can be affected by anything
you use on your carpets or floors. I
have even heard someone say, they washed their dog’s bowl with BLEACH!
Ridiculous!

For cleaning, I only use products I make myself, from safe
ingredients, or products from companies I trust. Here are some of the products
I use:

I mentioned grooming earlier in this post. For bathing Boho, I use Dr. Bronners - Magic Pure-Castile Soap Organic Baby Mild with a couple of drops NOW Foods Tea Tree Oil
. It’s gentle enough for her skin and leaves
her fur soft and shiny. If you bring
your dog to groomers, you may want to supply them with this alternative. And, be sure they don’t use any artificial
fragrance on them. It may smell nice to
you; but, trust me, those toxic perfumes are no good for your dog.

So yes, I spoil Boho.
She drinks filtered water, plays with non-toxic toys, and enjoys a safe
environment. There are way too many tips
for raising a healthy, happy pet to fit into one post. But, these are my top tips, outlined above.

Our pets are
considered family members for many of us.
For some of us, they are our babies.
I wish you many years of happiness with your furry babies. Go ahead, spoil them!

Official Expo Blogger GFAF Expo Chicago

Boho and Mo on Etsy

Find Us on Instagram

Subscribe To

About Me

After successfully putting my lupus into remission, with diet and exercise, I created a program, Sickness To Fitness, to help others to do the same. I create recipes and workout programs to raise autoimmune and chronic illness awareness and healing.

Medical Disclaimer

Disclaimer: Although I am a certified herbalist, homeopath, and nutritional therapist, I have chosen not to obtain my licensure in these modalities (where they may apply). I am not a licensed dietician, medical doctor, or practitioner of traditional medicine. I am not licensed to counsel in medical matters, nor do I attempt to treat disease in any way. I may not be held responsible for any course of action you choose to apply to heal yourself or your family members. Please understand that I am sharing the results of my studies and my own personal journey to wellness. Not everything I write about will be the right course of action for you. I am an alternative health activist. From time to time, I will write articles debunking medical studies, challenging medical establishment, and scoffing government regulation of natural remedies. These articles reflect my opinion and research regarding these matters. I encourage you to do your own research and seek the advice of professionals you trust. By law, I am required to advise you to seek a medical doctor for diagnosis and treatment of disease.

Amazon

Paid Endorsement Disclosure

In order to support my blogging efforts, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of compensation for my endorsement, recommendations, testimonials and/or link to any products or services from this blog. I only endorse products that align with Boho and Mo and Paleo Cajun Lady and that I believe would be of value to my readers.